recur
gb/ɹɪkˈɚ/ us/ɹɪkˈɚ/
B2
English
~ 7500
ismétlődik, kiújul, visszatér, eszébe jut, rekurzívan működik, rekurzál, rekurzívan meghívja önmagát
VERB
B2
1
Usage pattern:
for [problem/event] to recur
The pain may recur if you stop taking the medication.
A fájdalom kiújulhat, ha abbahagyja a gyógyszer szedését.
These budget problems seem to recur every year.
Úgy tűnik, ezek a költségvetési problémák évről évre visszatérnek.
Nightmares began to recur after the accident.
The same pattern of errors recurs throughout the report.
Learner examples
The cough may recur in winter.
Télen kiújulhat a köhögés.
The same mistake can recur many times.
Ugyanaz a hiba sokszor megismétlődhet.
His back pain often recurs after heavy work.
The festival recurs every August.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "recur" as a transitive verb, for example *"They recurred the test"*, which is incorrect. "Recur" is intransitive: you say "the test recurred" or "the problem recurred." Many learners also confuse "recur" with "reoccur"; both mean "happen again," but "recur" is more common in careful writing, especially for things that happen repeatedly. Spelling mistakes like *"reoccuring"* instead of "recurring" are also frequent.
Meaning
happen again, often repeatedly
Collocations
symptoms recur
|problems recur
|issue recurs
|recur regularly
|recur periodically
Synonyms
repeat (More general and common; can be used transitively or intransitively, while "recur" is intransitive and sounds slightly more formal or technical.)
Antonyms
stop (If something stops, it does not happen again, which is the opposite of recurring.)
Themes
time
|health
|work
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To happen again, usually more than once or in a pattern.
To happen or appear again, especially several times or at regular or irregular intervals.
VERB
C1
2
visszatér
B1
eszébe jut
A2
Usage pattern:
for [thought/memory] to recur
The memory of that day still recurs unexpectedly.
Annak a napnak az emléke még mindig váratlanul vissza-visszatér.
The same worrying thought kept recurring throughout the meeting.
Ugyanaz az aggasztó gondolat újra és újra visszatért az egész megbeszélés alatt.
Images of the accident recur in her mind at night.
Learner examples
The sad memory often recurs in his mind.
A szomorú emlék gyakran újra eszébe jut.
The same idea recurs when I try to sleep.
Amikor aludni próbálok, újra eszembe jut ugyanez a gondolat.
Bad dreams recur every time he feels stress.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes miss the mental or emotional focus here and think "recur" must always describe outside events. With this sense, it is used for what happens inside the mind: thoughts, memories, images, and dreams recur.
Meaning
come back into the mind again
Collocations
memory recurs
|image recurs
|the thought recurs
|idea recurs
|dream recurs
Synonyms
return (Often used in phrases like "the thought returns"; slightly more common and basic, while "recur" sounds more formal or literary in this context.)
Antonyms
fade (A memory or thought that fades becomes weaker and does not come back strongly, which contrasts with something that keeps recurring.)
Themes
mind
|emotions
|memory
|health
Definition
When a thought or memory recurs, it comes into your mind again and again.
Of a thought, image, or memory: to come back into someone's mind again, especially several times over a period.
VERB
C2
FORMAL
3
visszatér
B1
Usage pattern:
recur to [a subject/issue/point]
I shall recur to this question in the final chapter.
Erre a kérdésre az utolsó fejezetben még visszatérek.
The report briefly recurs to the problem of funding in its conclusion.
A jelentés a záró részében röviden visszatér a finanszírozás problémájára.
He frequently recurs to this argument when discussing climate policy.
Learner examples
Later, the writer recurs to this idea.
Később az író visszatér erre a gondolatra.
At the end, the speaker recurs to the main question.
A végén az előadó visszatér a fő kérdéshez.
In the book, the author often recurs to this story.
Common mistake:
Learners may try to use "recur" transitively, for example *"She recurs the topic"*. In this formal sense, it is used with "to": you recur to a topic, question, or issue. This usage is formal and not common in everyday speech; most of the time, "return to" or "go back to" is more natural.
Meaning
return to a topic or issue
Collocations
recur to this point
|recur to the question
|recur to the issue
|recur to the main theme
|recur to the topic
Synonyms
revisit (Common modern verb for returning to a subject; slightly less formal and more frequent than "recur to" in everyday writing.)
Antonyms
digress (To digress is to move away from the main subject, which is the opposite direction of recurring to it.)
Themes
communication
|academia
|education
Definition
To talk or write about a topic again after leaving it for a time.
To come back to a subject, issue, or point that has already been mentioned, especially in formal speech or writing.
VERB
C1
TECHNICAL
4
Usage pattern:
for [function/algorithm] to recur
The function recurs until the base case is reached.
A függvény addig hívja meg rekurzívan önmagát, amíg el nem éri az alapesetet.
In this algorithm, the procedure recurs on each subtree of the graph.
Ebben az algoritmusban az eljárás rekurzívan fut le a gráf minden részfáján.
The sequence is defined so that each term recurs in relation to the previous one.
Learner examples
The program recurs and calls the same function again.
A program rekurzívan működik, és újra meghívja ugyanazt a függvényt.
In this code, the method recurs until the list is empty.
Ebben a kódban a metódus addig hívja meg rekurzívan önmagát, amíg a lista ki nem ürül.
The formula recurs and uses the last result each time.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "recur" with general repetition in programming. In technical contexts, "recur" usually means the function or definition directly calls itself (recursion), not just any kind of loop or repeated action.
Meaning
call or define itself again
Collocations
the function recurs
|algorithm recurs on each element
|procedure recurs until a base case
|recurs on smaller inputs
|recurs in its own definition
Synonyms
iterate (In computing, "iterate" means to repeat steps in a loop; "recur" specifically implies a function or definition calling itself rather than using an external loop.)
Antonyms
terminate (A recurring (recursive) process continues by calling itself again, whereas a terminating process stops and does not call itself further.)
Themes
technology
|mathematics
|education
|science
Definition
In math or computer code, for a rule or function to use itself again and again to get the answer.
In mathematics and computing, of a definition, function, or algorithm: to be applied or to call itself again, using previous steps or smaller inputs as part of its own process.
Grammar
Dictionary form
recur
IPA
GB/ɹɪkˈɚ/
US/ɹɪkˈɚ/
Syllables & stress
re - cur (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (cur)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: recur
- 3rd Person Singular: recurs
- Present Participle: recurring
- Past: recurred
Word family
Forms
recurs
verb
recurring
verb
recurred
verb
Core family
recurrence
noun C1
recurrent
adjective
Related words
recurrently
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
nonrecurring
adjective
Highlights
- Irregular present participle: recurring Verb
- Irregular past: recurred Verb
Expressions
recur to
1/ɹɪkˈɚ tə/
phrasal verb
formal
return again to a subject or memory
To go back to a subject, idea, or memory again after some time away from it.
Examples
- I will recur to this issue in the conclusion of my talk.
- The same childhood scene often recurs to him when he visits his hometown.
- The article briefly recurs to the question of privacy before ending.